I still don’t recommend Windows 10. I’ll be staying with Windows 7 for as long as possible (at least until January of 2020, when Microsoft will no longer offer security updates for it). But I know there are some people that are concerned that someday they might HAVE to upgrade, and the deadline for getting the FREE upgrade to Windows 10 is July 29 – just a couple of months away. It would be silly to pay for Windows 10 (which will probably be $119) if you could have gotten it for free, right?

Here’s the timeline:

Windows 10 was first introduced at the end of July, 2015.

For anyone that has Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1, the upgrade to Windows 10 is free if you do it by July 29, 2016.

After July 29, if you want to upgrade to Windows 10, it will cost you $119. But there’s a way around that, if you’re concerned about it.

Disclaimer: As a general rule, I don’t recommend that the “novice” computer user should do either one of these things. It’s true that if you know all the steps involved, and you’re familiar with how the system image software works, you could probably do either of these successfully. But we’re talking about your computer’s operating system here. If something goes wrong, or you’re presented with an error message or an option that you aren’t familiar with, you’re might be kind of stuck in a difficult place. I’m only presenting this today for the users that are considering doing the upgrade now specifically to avoid having to spend $119 later.

Actually there are two ways to keep using Windows 7, but get Windows 10 free even after the deadline. There are pros and cons to both.

Method #1: Upgrade and roll back

Of the two methods, this is the easier one – but it’s not 100% guaranteed. Windows 10 has a built-in process that allows you to go back to your previous version of Windows, if you decide you don’t like Windows 10 or it doesn’t work properly (both are likely scenarios). But you have to do the rollback within 30 days of the upgrade. And here’s the catch: that rollback option has been known not to work on some computers. And it can make a difference if you do it 1 day after the upgrade, or 29 days after; whatever work you’ve done during the Windows 10 period will likely be lost when you go back to Windows 7 or 8.

Here are the basic steps for this process:

Method #2: Upgrade and restore a system image

This one is the more reliable of the two methods – but not quite as simple. It’s only more reliable due to the fact that the “rollback process” built into Windows 10 just doesn’t always work properly. As you can see, the software we use for this is the same as we used in Method #1 – Macrium Reflect. It’s very reliable and I love it. Personally, I bought the paid version just to support the developers (and in case I ever need their tech support, which is not included in the free version).

Here are the basic steps for this process:

The big question: why does this work?

You might read the steps in these processes and wonder, “What does this actually accomplish?” And that’s a valid question. I mean, you’re basically just upgrading to Windows 10 and then going back to what you have now.

Here’s the key: when the upgrade to Windows 10 happens, Microsoft makes a note of it on their end. You don’t have to enter a product key or go through any manual activation process – it all happens in the background. This is called a “digital entitlement”. This just means that Microsoft knows that your specific, unique computer is eligible for Windows 10. And that status stays on Microsoft’s records  – EVEN IF you then go back to using Windows 7 or 8. By doing the upgrade, you’re kind of “reserving your place” so that if you ever want to actually upgrade and start using Windows 10 in the future, you’ll be able to do that without having to purchase it.

I’ll probably do this on my own computers, and on my wife’s computer, just to be covered for the possibility that someday we might somehow be forced to upgrade to Windows 10. But as I said earlier, Windows 7 will be supported through January 2020 – and who knows what the Windows situation will look like in 3 1/2 years.